Am I The Only One? | Reading Reddit Stories

Summary

Smosh Reads Reddit Stories

Episode: "Am I The Only One? | Reading Reddit Stories"

Release date: April 25, 2026
Host: Shane Topp
Guests: Courtney, Arasha

---

Episode Overview

This lively episode of Smosh Reads Reddit Stories explores the world of unpopular opinions through a selection of Reddit threads, prompting hilarious and thoughtful reactions from Shane, Courtney, and Arasha. The crew unpacks weird and relatable posts on sleep, pets, odd habits, hobbies, relationship “tests,” and even a proposal to put dinosaurs on U.S. currency. Each segment is filled with banter, playful teasing, and the group’s trademark offbeat wisdom.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Sharing “Unpopular” Opinions

(01:27–05:14)

• Kick-off: Shane introduces the unpopular opinions theme, with Courtney and Arasha primed to share their own.
• Driving After 60?
  • Arasha: “I think if you're over the age of, like, 60, you have to retest for your driver's license.” (02:15)
  • Shane: Fully agrees, noting it's common sense, not really controversial.
• Sleep Opinions:
  • Group teases Arasha for possibly being "ageist"—lots of joking about old people and politics.
  • Courtney: “I'm not ageist. They just… I just smell.” (04:20)

---

2. Reddit Story 1: Alarms to Enjoy Sleep

(05:14–14:32)

• Reddit post: Wakes up at 2:59 am with an alarm just to appreciate going back to sleep.
• All three admit, sometimes that “bonus sleep” is magical.
  • Shane: “If I wake up in the middle of the night, I sometimes love it, because I'm like, oh, sweet. Now I get to have that feeling of, like, I don't have to be up yet.” (08:35)
• Courtney: Discusses the disappointment of waking up right before a real alarm.
• Arasha: Loves repeatedly snoozing and says she’d set alarms every five minutes before “real” wakeup time.
• Details:
  • Shane: Naturally wakes up before alarms, rarely sleeps in.
  • Courtney: Has difficulty falling asleep in her own bed, less so in random places.
  • Arasha: Can nap anywhere, any time.
• Conclusions:
  • The group agrees the opinion isn’t truly unpopular—just quirks of “good sleepers.”
  • Courtney: “I think you can do whatever the hell you want with your own sleep.” (11:30)

---

3. Reddit Story 2: “Most People Aren’t Dog People”

(18:11–26:15)

• Opinion: More people adopt dogs than are truly “dog people”; many shouldn’t have them.
• Courtney’s hot take: “99% of people who are dog owners are not really fit to be dog owners. They're not aware of, like, how much work and time it takes.” (19:47)
  • Laments yappy, ill-mannered dogs and owners who let them run wild.
• Shane: American "dog culture" is unique, sometimes veering into the weird or excessive.
  • Draws parallels between careless pet ownership and parenting.
  • “People…want the thing, but not the responsibility of it.” (21:10)
• Arasha: Admits to never having had a real pet, and finds the dynamic interesting but foreign.
• The Paris Hilton Era:
  • Massive Chihuahua craze leading to shelter overcrowding.
• Combined wisdom: Dogs aren’t accessories, and education about their real needs is lacking.
• Comments highlight: Frustration with untrained dogs and disregard for responsible ownership.

---

4. Arasha’s Most Unpopular Confession

(27:50–30:50)

• Arasha, sheepishly: “I weirdly like…I can't like turn away when a dog is pooping.” (28:10)
• Panel’s reaction: Hilarious disbelief and acceptance, theorizing she wants to reciprocate the infamous dog-eye-contact moment.
• Courtney: Sympathizes, describing animal bathroom habits from her own pets.

---

5. Reddit Story 3: “Wearing Clothes in the Shower”

(32:20–35:14)

• Poster: Likes to step into the shower fully clothed, then remove garments soaking wet.
• Courtney: “Have you been checked for autism?” Speculates about sensory factors. (32:20)
• Shane: Compares it to other “self-imposed discomforts” for the pleasure of relief.
• Comments describe extreme post-work routines and odd sleep habits—lots of sharing of weirdness:
  • Courtney: Admits she loved sleeping in a sleeping bag on top of her bed as a teen.
  • Shane: Used to sleep on top of his made bed or even on the carpet—too hot for covers.

---

6. Reddit Story 4: “Are All Hobbies Equal?”

(42:04–52:36)

• Poster’s claim: Productive/creative hobbies (music, sports, writing) are superior to “consumptive” ones (TV, games).
• Shane: Questions why people care so much; finds false hierarchy pointless.
  • “What do you care?...Count as what?” (43:19)
• Courtney: Labels it “a weird hierarchy that they made up.”
• All hosts reject the notion that consumption is “boring,” agreeing enjoyment is enough justification.
• Courtney: “If somebody was just like, ‘watching a movie isn’t a hobby, you should learn a new language,’ I'd be like, ‘[expletive] yourself, I just want to relax.’” (46:46)
• Consensus: “What do you do for fun?” is a better measure than arbitrary hobby rankings.

---

7. Reddit Story 5: The “Worm Girlfriend” Question

(52:56–62:24)

• Poster: Argues “would you love me if I was a worm?” isn’t random—it’s a veiled insecurity about unconditional love.
  • Explores why people phrase big relationship fears in silly hypotheticals.
• Courtney: Pushes back—“I think for some people...it’s not that deep.” (54:46)
• Shane: Suggests, if you can't ask your partner serious questions directly, that’s symptomatic of deeper issues.
• The group discusses the toxicity of relationship “tests” and viral trends online.
  • Arasha: “It just programs all of us to think like, ‘Oh, well, if my situation doesn’t look like the one I’m watching, there’s something wrong with me.’” (59:52)
• Comments: Most people don’t take it that seriously; literal answers to the worm question don’t “pass the test.”
• Conclusion: Interpersonal communication is best done honestly, not through veiled TikTok hypotheticals.

---

8. Reddit Story 6: Skipping Game Dialogue; Easy Mode “Shame”

(65:21–74:59)

• Poster: Skips story/cutscenes in games to maximize precious game time; resents scorn for playing on easy mode.
• Shane & Courtney: Recognize the anger is less about games and more about online shaming.
  • Shane: “The only people I've heard talk about you should play games on the hardest difficulty are on forums or Reddit posts.” (67:46)
  • Courtney: “Skip it, if you want to skip it, man. You bought the game…” (67:09)
• The problem: Spending too much time online leads to defensiveness and unnecessary comparisons.
• Shane: Dubs his phone the “piss me off device.” (68:39)
• Overall: Do what makes you happy; ignore internet “rules” about how hobbies “should” be enjoyed.

---

9. Reddit Story 7: “Dinosaurs on Money”

(75:39–79:01)

• Poster: Suggests dinosaurs should go on U.S. bills instead of “imperfect dead people.”
• Panel’s glee:
  • “Dead dude on a dinosaur.” (75:58)
  • Recommends other animals—bison, moose, bald eagle—and alternately, just oversized numbers like “Spongebob money.”
• Courtney: Wants dinosaurs and real-life icons—“Ankylosaurus, Harriet Tubman, Archaeopteryx dream blunt rotation.” (79:01)
• Comment of the night: Horseshoe crab for the silver dollar, since its blood is crucial for vaccines.
• Notable observation: The poster’s idea is “based,” but probably won’t happen.

---

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• Shane, on hobbies:
  “What actually makes people interesting is not necessarily what they do in their life. It's typically…how interested they are in the people they're talking to.” (47:33)
• Courtney, on relationship “tests”:
  “If you’re at the point where you need to test your partner, I think you’re already past…more serious things.” (55:33)
• Arasha, awkward confession:
  “I weirdly like…I can't…like, turn away when a dog is pooping.” (28:10)
• Shane, on phone doomscrolling:
  “My cat must be like, why does he keep looking at that stone?…I sometimes refer to my phone as my ‘piss me off device’.” (68:39)
• Courtney, ultimate flex:
  “I want to smell like tiger balm and fear.” (39:37)

---

Notable Timestamps

• Starting opinions: 01:27
• Sleep alarm debate: 05:28–14:32
• Dog ownership discussion: 18:11–26:15
• Weird sleep/shower/clothing habits: 32:20–37:30
• Hobbies hierarchy: 42:04–52:36
• Worm girlfriend question: 52:56–62:24
• Video game “story/skipping/easy mode” rant: 65:21–74:59
• Dinosaurs on money: 75:39–79:01

---

Final Thoughts

The crew concludes the episode by agreeing that most “unpopular opinions” are just personal quirks—and the only real universal is: let people enjoy things (or not)! Whether it’s the way you sleep, the pets you own, how you relax, or even how you play your favorite games, ignore the internet’s “rules” and do what brings you joy.

Shane: “A boring person is usually someone who's just obsessed with themselves, regardless of what they're doing in their life. I want to be friends with you because it's cool hanging out with you.” (47:33)

Courtney: "Remember that you were a person, wild and free, born outside of a system, that they then put you in checking accounts." (50:19)

Nothing is that deep, and dinosaurs belong on money.

---

End Note

The episode wraps with a few more oddball exchanges about colorblindness, favorite dinosaurs, and a closing round of gratitude. As always, it’s a blend of genuine insight and pure Smosh-style chaos—an episode as idiosyncratic as the unpopular opinions it celebrates.

Transcript

[Lingokids Narrator]

The number one job of any parent is to look out for their kids.

[Arasha]

Sometimes mom doesn't let me use my tablet.

[Lingokids Narrator]

Well, that is part of looking out for you. Your parents want to make sure you're safe while you're having fun. I guess that's what we want, too. We're Lingokids, and we're here to help parents out. Lingokids is the number one entertainment platform for young kids because kids love it and parents can trust it.

[Courtney]

What?

[Lingokids Narrator]

Lingokids has lots of fun stuff that parents can feel good about, like songs and shows, plus activities featuring beloved Disney characters from Disney's Moana, Frozen, and more.

[Arasha]

I love Disney stories.

[Lingokids Narrator]

Who doesn't? Lingokids has over 1 million daily users,

[Shane]

so it looks like a lot of people love it already.

[Lingokids Narrator]

Plus, when your parents download the Lingokids app, they can get a one week free trial. Mango, kids, everything kids love, download the app for free.

[Shane]

And Doug, there's nowhere I wouldn't go to help someone customize and save on

[Lingokids Narrator]

car insurance with Liberty Mutual, even if it means sitting front row at a comedy show.

[Arasha]

Hey, everyone, check out this guy and his bird. What is this, your first date?

[Shane]

Oh, no.

[Courtney]

We help people customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual together.

[Shane]

We're married. Me to a human, him to a bird. Yeah, the bird looks out of your league.

[Courtney]

Anyways, get a [e-mail] or with your local agent.

[Shane]

Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Hello and welcome to Smosh Reads Reddit Stories. I'm Shane, and today's theme is unpopular opinions. And I'm joined by two of my friends who have extremely unpopular opinions about pretty much everything. They're gonna share some right now. Damian and Arasha.

[Arasha]

Okay. Okay, I got one.

[Courtney]

I feel like I have so many just, like, ready to go always. And now I'm on the sp.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Courtney]

All I can think of is just so popular, it's crazy.

[Shane]

Everything I think is just really popular.

[Arasha]

Well, I have ones. I just don't know if, like, it's okay to say them.

[Shane]

That's fair.

[Arasha]

Okay, you know what? Let's try it.

[Shane]

All right. Okay. We just cut it.

[Arasha]

Yeah, you can cut it.

[Shane]

And our first story.

[Arasha]

And our first story.

[Courtney]

You and I are, like, noticeably disheveled and uncomfortable.

[Arasha]

Okay, hear me out, though.

[Shane]

Okay, let's start.

[Arasha]

I think if you're over the age of, like, 60, you have to retest for your driver's license.

[Shane]

Yeah, that's not. That's. That's a popular opinion, I think.

[Arasha]

Okay, well, I. I feel like people would Come at me for being, like, ageist. And I'm not trying to do that.

[Shane]

No, I think 100%. No, 100%.

[Arasha]

It's just like, put the pedal to the pedal. Like, we gotta go, you know?

[Shane]

Yeah, I know. I 100% fully agree.

[Arasha]

Okay. Okay. I honestly, I got a little nervous. Like, my toes are a little curled right now. Cause I was. I didn't know how that was gonna go down.

[Courtney]

We are canceling the operation. Arasha is clear.

[Shane]

Yeah. No, no, that's a good one. That's a good one.

[Arasha]

Thank you.

[Shane]

But I don't think. I don't think unpopular enough.

[Arasha]

Okay. All right, I got more. Damien.

[Courtney]

Yeah, man, I feel like I'm. I'm so on the spot here. And you guys are thinking, like, you want me to say something witty and cool like usual?

[Shane]

No, I was kind of. I think what's tough is when you get, like, big societal levels, like laws and stuff, I think it's tough to find one that's, like, an unpopular opinion. I think where we're going to see a lot of things is in the small things. I saw a post on Reddit a long time ago, and maybe it'll come up of an unpopular opinion where someone was like, I love getting into my car when it's really hot. Like, when you get into a really hot car. He's like, I love that feeling.

[Arasha]

And everyone was like, what is wrong with you?

[Courtney]

There is. You know what? There is something to the, like. And as someone that hates the heat, there is something to walking into a car and just feeling that, like, wow. Like, it's such a.

[Shane]

It's. You're literally, like, swimming. Yeah, but it's nice if it's. If you're cold and you're getting into a hot car. But if it's a hot day and you get in a hot car, there's

[Courtney]

something about that, like, immediate jump to high heat that is far better. It's the. It's the sustained, consistent heat that I hate. But that moment of just, like, woof,

[Shane]

like, Sonic, it's even hotter.

[Courtney]

Is. Okay, you know what? Can I. Can I save my unpopular opinion for later?

[Shane]

Like, I'm sure something will come up. Of course.

[Courtney]

I'd rather not dig for it.

[Arasha]

Yeah, I. I have a few. I have a few. So, you know, later when you hit them, I'll. I'll hit.

[Shane]

All of yours are about old people. You're like, I don't think people over 60 should thank you for bringing up old people. Be able to date anymore.

[Courtney]

I'm not ageist. They just. I just smell.

[Shane]

Go away.

[Arasha]

All of them. Start with if you're over the age of 60. See, you are under arrest.

[Shane]

You're under arrest.

[Courtney]

You go to jail for old people.

[Arasha]

Now, it won't be that long. Like, just chill.

[Shane]

If a politician came out and they ran on entirely just being against old people, I think they might do okay. Like, I would. They'd be against the entire government because the entire government is entirely like 80 year old.

[Arasha]

I would like to announce my campaign.

[Courtney]

Yeah. Yeah. I honestly, that. Mom, Donnie's got good ideas.

[Shane]

Yeah. And he's young enough to be young.

[Arasha]

He's young.

[Shane]

He's the youngest by like 40 years too crazy. Okay.

[Arasha]

God, now I'm fucking heated over old

[Courtney]

people in a car which they can't fucking drive.

[Arasha]

No, they can't.

[Shane]

Okay, let's hop into these. Our first unpopular opinion. These come from the subreddit, the 10th Dentists. Uh, you probably heard 9 out of 10 dentists recommend this. This is the 10th Dentist is where the idea comes from for the subreddit.

[Courtney]

That one's Peter Capaldi, right?

[Shane]

Yeah. So people are posting. Jesus, there's the wit. Right?

[Courtney]

We're still. Still getting started.

[Shane]

That was crazy. Some doctor who fans could be like, no, he did the math. That that was right. So these are unpopular opinions. And the point of it is to. They post an unpopular opinion and you're supposed to upvote it. If it is truly unpopular, we'll be able to talk about it however we want. Okay, here we go. First post. I put a daily alarm for 259 on weekdays. Stay with me. Now. Sleep kind of sucks. Sleeping is really enjoyable. That much is true. But you don't experience the sleep. You just lay in bed until, poof, you're now awake. It's the worst on weekdays because you can't even just lay in bed. Enjoy the fact that you've slept. Therefore, every weekday I set an alarm for the middle of the night so I can wake up, lay in bed a little and go to sleep again. It's nice. Also, it's set to 259 because setting my alarm at a rounded number makes me really uncomfortable for some reason. Edit found out my sister does this too. Must be hereditary.

[Arasha]

100% agree.

[Courtney]

Agree.

[Arasha]

What?

[Courtney]

That's why you were grabbing and I. We are making the same face.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Arasha]

Okay. Because I was going to say that in beginning, like, I, I. That that truly is what I believe. Like, I love snoozing.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Arasha]

I love waking up to an alarm. Because she's so right. You cannot enjoy sleep until you're done having it.

[Courtney]

Wow. If I'm the understand you and the poster correctly, you're both saying, like, doesn't it suck how you sleep all the way through the night? No issues. You don't even realize you're trying to sleep, and then you just have to wake up.

[Arasha]

It's.

[Shane]

It's a. It's a very privileged sleeper take.

[Courtney]

Is your last trip too buttery?

[Shane]

Here's. Here's the thing. No, here's the thing, Arasha. I do agree. Now here's why I can sleep. I'm very grateful. It's almost. It's one of the things I'm most grateful about my brain and body is that I can sleep anywhere.

[Arasha]

Yes.

[Shane]

However, I need to. And it's just. It's truly just like. And I'm back up. It's crazy. Like, Courtney and I have these rings now that, like, track our sleep. And it'll show, like, how long it took you to sleep. And sometimes Courtney's like, oh, my. It took me, like, 40 minutes to fall asleep. Mine's always, like, five minutes instant. It's truly, like, I lay down just,

[Arasha]

like,

[Shane]

truly, I am out.

[Arasha]

I feel like I can do that

[Courtney]

anywhere but my bed, though. If I'm on a plane, I've, like, fallen asleep on a laundromat counter in the middle of Atlanta, like, while filming a movie, being, like, I can catch a quick 15 in this abandoned laundromat.

[Shane]

But your bed.

[Courtney]

But my bed. My brain is just like, what about that thing you did once? And, like, it's just off to the races.

[Shane]

Interesting.

[Courtney]

So all the way through the night. But I also feel like you've earned that. Like, you both are very active people. You exercise.

[Shane]

I will wake up. Yeah. What I was going to say, though, is that I will often wake up in the middle of the night, but it's not, like, a problem because it's not like, oh, I have trouble going back to sleep. I wake up. And if I wake up in the middle of the night, I sometimes love it.

[Arasha]

Yeah.

[Shane]

Because I'm like, oh, sweet. Now I get to have that feeling of, like, I don't have to be up yet.

[Arasha]

Yes.

[Shane]

Now I will say on the rare occasion that I have trouble sleeping, I'm like, oh, this is agony. If I had this regularly, yeah. I would just beg to be able to sleep through the night. But I'm lucky that it's not the thing that I was hit with. Everybody has their thing, right? Like, nobody Gets to just be, like, 100%. Everyone has a thing. But I'm glad sleep is not my thing.

[Courtney]

Yeah, Let me. Let me pose another thing to you, though. Like, do you know the Twilight Zone where the guy is, like, in heaven and it's a casino, and he's always winning, and he's just like, oh, no, I'm always winning. That's boring. This must be hell. That's kind of how I feel about that, because I do love waking up in the middle of the night being like, you know what? It's not the worst night of sleep. I hope I have some sleep time left. And you got, like, five hours before your alarm, and then you're like, oh, what a treat. And then you fall back asleep. Yeah, but, like, it's a gamble. I could wake up. Like, this morning I woke up and I was like, God, can't wait to go back to sleep. And it was, like, five minutes before my alarm, and I was like, you got to be kidding me. You need to have those moments in order to appreciate going back to sleep. Waking yourself up at 2:59.

[Arasha]

I could fall right back to sleep. I would wake up and be like, good morning me. And then good night again.

[Shane]

Jesus. But you wouldn't want to interrupt rem. Like, I don't know if it's good for you.

[Courtney]

Probably not.

[Shane]

It's probably not good for you.

[Arasha]

No, I love interrupting the rem. I love interrupting the rem. You guys okay? Have you ever, like, waken up and you're interrupting the rem, right? And then you go back into the REM, and it's the same rem.

[Courtney]

So you're talking about a dream. I think you mean meaning the word dream, and you're just replacing REM with that.

[Arasha]

No, no, no, no, no. This is the rem. This is. Let me have my REM job right here. Okay, Let me out. Let me out. Okay, you're out. And then you're immediately back. And you, though you have woken up, you're back inside that exact same dream.

[Courtney]

I don't.

[Shane]

And Oprah's like, thank God you're back here to help me.

[Arasha]

No. Time has passed.

[Shane]

This ship is sinking.

[Courtney]

I don't know if it does. That's a good question out there, like, scientifically, does. Are you able to go back into the, like, REM sleep cycle when you fall back asleep immediately?

[Shane]

I mean, ultimately, I feel like the healthiest thing is, can you sleep continually? That's probably the best for you.

[Arasha]

Yeah.

[Shane]

I'm not a sleep doctor, But I'm not Doctor Sleep. Okay, but who's that? Steven K. Ewan McGregor.

[Arasha]

I am actually the most confused in the world when I'm sitting between you two.

[Shane]

For sure. You should try sitting between Sid and Olivia. It's even worse.

[Courtney]

We are 10 years our junior.

[Arasha]

Well, because then you're just like, where were we talking about? What's going on?

[Shane]

We were making movie references.

[Courtney]

We're just volleying back and forth.

[Shane]

But anyways, okay. You're cool with this?

[Arasha]

Okay, thank you.

[Shane]

You're cool with this?

[Arasha]

Thank you.

[Shane]

We agree.

[Arasha]

Thank you.

[Courtney]

I think you can do whatever the hell you want with your own sleep.

[Shane]

You are. That's fine.

[Courtney]

I'm just like, it's not even in a popular opinion. It's just like, I love this thing. It's like, yes, you do. But also, it's just.

[Shane]

Yeah, I think it's unpopular that he says waking up in the middle of the night is awesome. Like, that's what OP is saying. And that is an unpopular thing.

[Arasha]

It's a sleep.

[Shane]

The majority of people say, I don't want to wake up in the middle of the night.

[Courtney]

I think you're just gaming the system. We all, everybody, everybody. Most people, I think, love the feeling of like, oh, I woke up and it's cold and I get to melt back to sleep under the covers. Or like, something like, there's a lot to be enjoyed about a middle of the night moment. But also, it's just weird to stop yourself. It's like, I love jogging two miles and twisting my ankle the first mile just to like, pause, struggle. So I have a pause.

[Shane]

You know, I struggle with it.

[Arasha]

Well, my point too is that it also has for me, like, I don't love so much in the middle of the night. That's fine. I will take it. But for me, I want, like, I want like, five minute intervals from, like, maybe an hour or two away from when I have to wake up. Wow. So I want to constantly get that little dopamine spike. Oh, you don't like it anymore?

[Shane]

I. I get it kinda. I like, kind of once. And like, I like waking up being like, oh, I gotta. I. I've got two more hours. Okay, I can go back to sleep.

[Courtney]

That's not a bad one. Yeah. Or like, waking up, hitting the snooze and being like, you know what? I can actually push it 30 minutes. Oh, let me give myself 30 minutes.

[Arasha]

Always pushing it.

[Shane]

That feels like, Arasha, are you the type? Because I'm this way. I'll set an alarm for like 6am And I, on the dot, wake up at 5:55 every time. I rarely wake up from my alarms. I will set an alarm and then I wake up ten to five minutes before it.

[Arasha]

I am not. I am not. See, if I have to wake up at 6am, the alarms are starting at 4:30.

[Courtney]

Wow.

[Shane]

Do you think if you didn't set an alarm, you would sleep forever?

[Arasha]

No.

[Shane]

Yes.

[Courtney]

Wow.

[Arasha]

Yes.

[Shane]

I cannot sleep in. I, I. It's. It hits like 7am and that's kind of my. My ceiling.

[Arasha]

Oh, my God.

[Shane]

I rarely can recall when I've slept

[Arasha]

past 7am we just need to talk about sleep forever. Actually, like, it is. It's really nap too. Like, naps don't ruin me. Naps don't ruin me at all. I can't sleep for six hours in the middle of the day, and then I will still have a full night's sleep at the end of the day.

[Shane]

Damn.

[Courtney]

I can nap at any time for no reason.

[Shane]

That's awesome. I'm not a. I don't nap.

[Arasha]

I don't nap.

[Courtney]

You are a very healthy person, though. You have, like, a good routine.

[Shane]

But naps aren't unhealthy.

[Courtney]

No, I'm just saying, like, in general, when you're like, yeah, I go to bed at like, you know, 10 and can't help but wake up, you know, before I go to 5:55.

[Shane]

And I'm decently early for the part.

[Courtney]

You have a good routine. I feel like every day is like a. Not with a bang, but a whimper. Kind of like, day's done, and then like, I wake up when I have to.

[Arasha]

Are you okay?

[Courtney]

Not since childhood.

[Shane]

No.

[Courtney]

No, no, no, no, no.

[Shane]

It's very funny. I wake up so early sometimes that. And Courtney will sleep in. She'll be like, you have this whole other life. What are you doing? I'm like video games. Like, really not much.

[Arasha]

Yes.

[Lingokids Narrator]

Are you a parent who feels guilty about screen time? No, no, not you, sweetheart, but your mommy and daddy do, because too many apps are filled with AI garbage, inappropriate videos, and random content like a dancing potato or worse. That's what parents worry about. We're lingokids, the number one entertainment platform for young kids because kids love it and parents can trust it. They want songs, videos, and interactive games that are safe and fun. And fun lingok everything kids love.

[Shane]

And Doug, there's nowhere I wouldn't go to help someone customize and save on

[Lingokids Narrator]

car insurance with Liberty Mutual, even if it means sitting front row at a comedy show.

[Arasha]

Hey, everyone, check out this guy and his bird. What is this your first date?

[Shane]

Oh no.

[Courtney]

We help people customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual together.

[Shane]

We're married. Me to a human, him to a bird. Yeah, the bird looks out of your league.

[Courtney]

Anyways, get a [e-mail] or with your local agent.

[Shane]

Liberty Liberty Liberty Liberty. This episode of Reddit Stories is sponsored by zocdoc. Can you believe that we're in spring? Where did the time go? I don't know about you, but I've been feeling a bit behind. The dues keep piling up and it can feel so stressful. That's why I use ZocDoc. ZocDoc is a free app and website that helps you find and book high quality in network doctors so you can find someone you love. Dermatology, dentistry, primary care, eye care. Over 200 specialties offered. The app allows me to look in network with my insurance and find doctors nearby. I really love using verified patient reviews so I can be sure that I align with my doctor. Because of ZocDoc, I don't feel stressed about to dos and time Appointments made through Zocdoc can happen fast, typically 24 to 72 hours of booking. I have even had same day appointments. Truly, zocdoc has been a lifesaver for me. I'm someone who gets stressed out very easily when I have to search for just about anything. And searching for a doctor is really stressful and it makes it as easy as possible. Stop putting off those doctor's appointments and go to zocdoc.com PittReddit to find and instantly book a doctor you love today. That's Zocdoc.com PittReddit Zocdoc.com PittReddit Thanks Zocdoc for sponsoring this message. Ah, I've got it. No, I've got it. I've got it. I got it. Back to the show all right. Comments I honestly get it. Waking up and realizing you can go to sleep again is awesome. Op Said, oh yeah, I only started doing this like a year ago because I've been having a really easy time to just instantly falling asleep. Yeah, I set an alarm an hour before my main one for this. I wake up thinking ger time for work, then realize it's only my first one, turn it off and nuzzle back up with a whole extra hour. It's pretty awesome. Opie Said, Lol. Yeah, alarms really confuse your brain. I feel. I started waking up before the night alarm because I got so used to it. Someone else said, yeah that's insane. Pouring one out for any partner that ever has to deal with this psychotic alarm. OP said anytime I have to share a room with someone, I always turn off the alarm. Well, all the times that I remember to do so.

[Arasha]

Right, right.

[Courtney]

Yeah, that's.

[Arasha]

That's so considerate of them actually.

[Shane]

Okay. I think it's a, it's like 50, 50 unpopular because like we're hitting like people who can sleep easily, people who can't. So I think a lot of people are like, oh yeah. I get the feeling it's also not

[Courtney]

like an ungraspable opinion. Like just because I wouldn't do it doesn't mean I can't get the idea of like. Oh, that does sound kind of nice for you. Sure. So it's like it's not top tier unpopular for sure.

[Shane]

It's time for our next unpopular opinion.

[Arasha]

Okay.

[Shane]

This comes from the 10th dentist as well. Most people are not dog people and I'm tired of pretending people are. Okay, thank you.

[Courtney]

This will be mine. This will be my unpopular.

[Arasha]

Oh, we're gonna share this one.

[Courtney]

Yeah.

[Shane]

So many Americans in particularly adopt dogs and over hate on cats. However, people are wildly not dog people on everyday interactions and would much rather enjoy a cat. Dogs take a lot of behavioral training. People are annoyed by barking dogs jumping on people, resource guarding and require a lot of activity. Don't get me wrong, I like dogs and I'm not trying to spread anti dog propaganda. I just think the typical having a dog as a pet for the family is another lie of the American dream. A dog really is a diet version of raising a child. Cats are easy. Okay.

[Courtney]

They did miss saying propaganda. I just want to throw that out.

[Shane]

Have. I guess it works for anything. Just pet related propaganda. Okay. So what OP is saying is not that they don't like dogs. They're saying that most people are lying to themselves.

[Arasha]

Yeah.

[Shane]

And saying they like dogs because it is such a like Americanized like given thing. And it is a very American thing. Like how we go about dogs as pets. It's very different. I feel like in a lot of other countries.

[Arasha]

Yeah.

[Shane]

Place where it's similar. But America like we treat dogs like they are people here. You know, And I'm not saying I necessarily disagree with that, but it is a very American.

[Arasha]

We got nods around the room.

[Courtney]

This will be my like hot take on popular opinion because I, first of all, I love animals.

[Shane]

I love all animals.

[Courtney]

If I'm going to a person's house or a party or whatever, I'm going to find the animal there. I'm going to spend all of my time with that thing, whatever it is. I think 99% of people who are dog owners are not really fit to be dog owners. They are not aware of, like, how much work and time it takes. Yeah. I hate dealing with other people's dogs that either cannot stop barking or will not stop jumping on people or just fuck with stuff. Like, there's such an entitlement to people where it's just like, death. They're dogs. That's what they do. That's how it goes.

[Shane]

And I'm like, you shouldn't have this.

[Courtney]

You just got a free pet and decided to let it do whatever, and now it's everyone's problem.

[Arasha]

Yeah.

[Courtney]

I will say, I do love when a dog is well trained. Like, Aaron, in the office, we got Moose. Moose is the best animal. And I know how much work Aaron put in and research, like, right off the bat, like, it's awesome. But I've also worked in offices where dogs come in. It's like, oh, he pissed on the floor again, huh?

[Shane]

Right, Right.

[Arasha]

Well, Moose. Moose is a de. Like, he's. He's completely separate from the conversation.

[Shane]

I would say everybody at Smosh when they bring their dogs to the office, like, all their dogs are so well behaved.

[Courtney]

Right.

[Shane]

But that's kind of an outlier. Like, living in America my whole life. Like, a lot of dog owners are really terrible. Like, they're really terrible, which is stressful for the dog. It's also stressful for just everybody around them all the time. And I would say. But here's the problem is, like, people are that way with a lot of animals, and they're also that way with their kids. Like, people are just. They're. They're signing up for responsibility. Like, they want the thing, but not the responsibility of it. It's the really.

[Courtney]

Because they think responsibility is like, yeah, I'll feed it every day. Yeah, I'll take it on walks.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Courtney]

It's like, no, no, no, no, no.

[Shane]

There's a whole communicating with this creature

[Courtney]

who doesn't know your language, and you have to make it learn.

[Shane]

And I know I'm saying this all, like, I don't have kids and I don't have a dog. But, like, I've had dogs in the past, and, like, I know a lot of kids and I've had a few.

[Courtney]

I don't know where they are.

[Arasha]

Totally. Yeah. Yeah.

[Shane]

But, like, I know a lot of people who are parents, and I'm related to a lot of people who are parents. And like. But I think it's similar to. It reminds me, I was gonna say, I think a lot of people want a baby, but they don't actually want like a kid or to raise a human being. And I remember talking to someone who was older and his kids were all adults. And he's just like. He's like, it's the craziest thing. He's like, the majority of your life, your kids are gonna be adults. He's like. And I think he's like, a lot of people don't sign up for that. And they don't realize, like, oh, they're going to be a kid for like 15 to 18 years, you know, but then it's like now they're a grown man and you have to be hanging out with them.

[Arasha]

Well, you can't say it like that.

[Shane]

But that's like. But I think a lot of people don't sign up for that. And then you hear like, how many people like, do we know who like, have like limited contact with their parents or no contact with their parents? I'm just like, damn. Because their parents didn't sign up for that. Really. And I think what we're, we're talking about with dogs and it reminds me of back in the day. Millennials. Remember this, the Paris Hilton phase when Chihuahuas were adopted en masse.

[Courtney]

Yeah.

[Shane]

And then there was a mass exodus of them all being put in shelters because a lot of people got them as a hobby. Just as a thing of like, oh, I want this cute accessory.

[Courtney]

It'll be in my purse.

[Shane]

Hey, man, that's a, that's a living being. Like, that is domesticated. So it's not just some wild animal. It is. Its nature is tied to humans. Yeah. So you have to play a part in it.

[Arasha]

Yeah.

[Shane]

And people just treat that shit.

[Arasha]

Accessory is the key word there. I think that's a really strong place.

[Shane]

Where I will disagree with OP is he says cats are easy. And I actually very much disagree. I had dogs growing up and I didn't have like easy dogs. One of my dogs was a stubborn asshole, but loved him to death. But cats are, Cats are really nice dog quote. I think cats are really difficult in just different ways. Right. Cats can be easier on a day by day basis. But I think when things are tough with cats, they're really tough because they don't communicate like dogs sometimes and they can be harder to read. And I don't know, because I had cats growing up and dogs growing up and now I have currently have cats. I'VE dealt with both. I wouldn't say one's easier than the other. It's also a case by case basis.

[Courtney]

It does depend, though. I think a lot of people try to talk to cats, like, their dogs. Like, when I got my cat Freya, she hid under the sofa for three straight days. So I was like, okay. To show where it's safe, you know, I'm going to take a nap next to the sofa on the ground so she can see that, like, I'm not trying to reach in, but I'm here, I'm sleepy, all the vibes are good. And, like, eventually she, like, reached out her paw and put her paw on my hand. And it was like, later that night that she, like, came out and was exploring and, like, you know, until my cat Zelda, who's unfortunately no longer with us, like, entered the picture. Freya was very, like, in tune and, like, I could. I could, like, play fetch with her. I could, like, you know, I trained little, like, hand symbols and, like, little sounds to mean different things. And I was just trying to. Trying to sort of, like, intuit that as opposed to, like, come here. Like, come on.

[Arasha]

I feel like I am so. I don't have any knowledge on the subject. I've never had pets, like, ever. I mean, technically we had a fish once, but then it died and my mom blamed herself.

[Courtney]

Oh, no, I know.

[Arasha]

Like, fish die when you look at them funny.

[Shane]

It's true.

[Courtney]

To be fair, she was trying to play fetch.

[Arasha]

Right? Right.

[Courtney]

Kind of just hit it with a ball.

[Arasha]

But, like, I've truly never had a, like a close relationship with an animal in that way and in the form of a. Of a pet. So this idea of responsibility and entitlement, the accessories, all of this stuff, it almost feels like. I don't know, I feel like I'm speaking a little bit from, like, my

[Shane]

naive, like, no, I mean, that's okay. Yeah, yeah, it's entirely fine. I do think there's, like, as much as I. I am obsessed with animals and I love dogs, I also can acknowledge, I think sometimes the American, like, version of dog ownership is fudgeing weird. Sometimes.

[Courtney]

Yeah.

[Shane]

Like, how we treat dogs has gotten, like, excessive to some points where, like, I'm like, guys, they're not humans. They are. Yeah, they are. They're definitely not wild animals.

[Arasha]

Yeah, they're not.

[Shane]

Like, it's almost disrespectful to them. It's gonna make them anxious if we treat them fully like a human. Absolutely. But it's gotten to weird territories. But a Lot of people just are not taking the actual responsibility to it.

[Courtney]

I think the other alternative though is like, obviously we don't want dogs to stay in shelters and stuff like that. So maybe it just like in order to adopt a dog you have to take a one week course or something like that would be nice.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Arasha]

And if you're over the age of

[Courtney]

60, you become their food. You can to the dogs.

[Arasha]

You don't get it.

[Shane]

Comments, Comments here. As someone who really does love dogs, I think this is a great post. I think the idea of a dog is oversold to people and then when they realize that dogs aren't fluffy accessories, they get frustrated that the animal in their house is acting like an animal. I wish there was better education on dog behavior and dog care. What it also makes me think about is people care so much about the aesthetic of the dog and not realizing like, hey, dogs have been. A lot of dogs have been designed for specific tasks. Like do not get an Australian shepherd and have it in a one bedroom apartment. That thing is meant for a field somewhere.

[Arasha]

Like, always tough.

[Shane]

Like, be careful.

[Courtney]

Like, make sure you have a lot of sheep for it to play with.

[Shane]

Sorry. Based on your settings, you may not have the right environment for the right type of dog or the, the schedule.

[Courtney]

Yeah.

[Shane]

Or anything. Like, I haven't had a dog because, like living in a small place, I'm like, I can't right now.

[Arasha]

Yeah.

[Shane]

Be disrespectful to them.

[Arasha]

Which is. And it's so heartbreaking to think that people just like, don't listen to that. And so, and a lot of people

[Shane]

just put a dog like just in outside or whatever and just don't pay it any attention. I'm just like, why? Did you get it? Yeah. Other comment. I have long, long, long since realized that I don't dislike dogs. I just intensely dislike people that put minimal to zero effort in training them. A lot of people really should not have dogs. Someone else said, I don't hate dogs. I hate dog owners who leave their dog shit on the footpath, grass, road, and everywhere in between. Fuck those people.

[Courtney]

Yeah.

[Arasha]

Okay. I have to say a crazy unpopular

[Courtney]

opinion that, that okay, you love poop on the ground. Sorry.

[Arasha]

So I. Okay. I feel like, okay, I. I like.

[Courtney]

The floor is yours.

[Arasha]

No, this is gonna be really tough.

[Shane]

You teed this up.

[Arasha]

This is gonna be really tough to say. I like, okay, we really might have to cut this. I like. I weirdly like, I can't like turn away when a dog is pooping.

[Shane]

Okay.

[Arasha]

Like, I just like I guess watching.

[Shane]

No, like, arasha, we accept you. We love you. It's okay.

[Arasha]

I, I, I don't, I don't know.

[Shane]

I know that this is the thing you've thought about. You've, like, thought about this. Like, hey, so I've like, no, like,

[Arasha]

my, my inner circle knows this.

[Shane]

You're, you're just, you're, Is it like a morbid curio? Like, you're just like, oh, he's. Well, it's also funny because dogs will look at you when they're doing it.

[Arasha]

I just want to reciprocate.

[Shane]

It's the funniest thing. They're just like, proceed.

[Arasha]

I don't know what it is, you guys. It's just, it's so. I am, like, enamored by it. I'm, like, imagining it right now. It's not like, I'm not, like, happy.

[Shane]

You're just like, you have to, you have, you can't look away.

[Arasha]

I just can't look away. I'm like, you know, my friends, like, I used to live with a dog, and so every time, you know, like, I'd go out with them, he'd be like, oh, he's going. And I'd be like, oh, okay.

[Courtney]

Okay. You know, I guess I can't really, I can't really judge because I don't

[Shane]

know what to make of it.

[Arasha]

I can't believe I'm saying this right now.

[Shane]

I can't believe you're talking about it.

[Arasha]

No, this is gonna come out. I'm gonna be like, I can't. I don't fucking remember saying any of that.

[Shane]

And earlier you said, we should kill everyone over the age of 60.

[Arasha]

I don't regret that. Keep that.

[Courtney]

I always have to watch old people poop. No, but, like, as someone that has cats, like Deborah, they're always, they're always, like, covered in some kind of way. And, like, I grew up with birds, and birds would be very, like, you know, like, mid conversation. They're just like, doesn't matter. So I guess if it's like an ongoing process, just out in the world, I guess I can see that it's

[Shane]

a crazy, It's a crazy thing to think about, like, for what a. The dog is experiencing of just like, you're just, you just. Whenever you're not like, oh, I need privacy or whatever.

[Arasha]

Right.

[Courtney]

That's why they make the eye contact. They're like, are you watch. Are we good right now?

[Shane]

Yeah. No, it's a safety thing.

[Arasha]

Yes.

[Shane]

And then they're like, mentality. It's like, hey, I'm. Yes, I'm vulnerable.

[Courtney]

And that's what it is. You can't look away because you have to make sure that animal is protected. You may not have had a pet of your own, therefore you have to protect all the dogs that are that need to know that.

[Shane]

You sound like a dog owner. I think you may be. Maybe you were meant to have a dog.

[Arasha]

Yes. And clip that together and make it nice.

[Shane]

Make it good.

[Arasha]

Make it good.

[Shane]

This episode of Reddit Stories is sponsored by Wayfair. Look, I love reading Reddit stories to you, but I also love scoring the best deals at home. And from April 25th through the 27th, it's Wayday. You can score deals like up to 80% off with free shipping on everything. I have been doing some upgrading in my office and I'm ordering a pegboard for right above my desk. Wayfair makes it easy to search by category and I feel inspired as I am scrolling through my options. Search filters like customer reviews have really helped me fine tune exactly what I'm looking for. Wayfair is different from other home retailers because they offer assembly services. I don't have to stare at instructions with odd pictures that don't make any sense. I'm looking for speed, ease, efficiency, and Wayfair checks all of those boxes. I've used Wayfair many times over the years, and right now with our new studio, I'm looking for ways to spruce up my office. And they have every option of every type of furniture piece. It's incredible. Way day is the sale to shop the best deals in home. We're talking up to 80% off with fast and free shipping on everything. Head to Wayfair.com April 25th through the 27th to shop Wayday. That's W-A-Y-F-A-I-R.com Wayfair Every style, every home. Back to the show. All right, our next unpopular opinion. I like to wear my clothes in the shower for a few seconds before taking them off. This one. Okay, that's. This person's out of their mind.

[Courtney]

Have you been checked for autism?

[Arasha]

Okay, but wait. But wait. They kind of have a point for a second. I gotta hear them out.

[Shane]

Okay.

[Arasha]

I gotta hear them out.

[Courtney]

I'm serious. Like, I'm like you. Like a really weird sensory thing that's very sensory and specific. I don't know. I could be projecting.

[Arasha]

Okay, all right.

[Shane]

I like hopping in the shower fully clothed. And afterwards, when they are soaked in water, do I take them off? It feels Like a nice reward after a long day. To feel the clothes in such a different way after trying to keep them neat and tidy, to then just let it dampen and sag.

[Courtney]

Sure, man, sure.

[Arasha]

All right, I'm not mad.

[Shane]

I I, I guess I unders like it's almost like getting yourself into a bad situation so that if you get the relief of getting it off, like kind of. I don't know if that's what he's saying, but I'm like, oh, whenever I've been like wet or like my clothes are all messed up, taking them off feels like so nice. So kind of like the guy who set an alarm for the middle of the night. This person's like, oh, I'm getting my clothes all wet so I can feel so good when I take it off.

[Arasha]

Sure, sure. I feel like I'm a little caught in the mess after the fight.

[Courtney]

That's a lot.

[Shane]

That's a lot of laundry.

[Arasha]

That's a lot of dripping.

[Shane]

His laundry machine's like, please put a roster in a Marvel mov. Okay, we were there, we were there, we were there. Comments out of curiosity, do you have to do your laundry every day or something? Won't this start to smell God awful in hours with just one pair of clothes? Forget about several days worth. OP said. I usually do this on laundry day so I can just take the wet clothes and put them with my other clothes. It's not a daily thing, just something I can enjoy and look forward to on Fridays. What are you, what are you up to this Friday? I'm thinking about hopping in my shower. Full, full deck of cloth,

[Courtney]

flask of whiskey tears.

[Arasha]

Honestly, I'm on board. I might try it.

[Shane]

All right.

[Courtney]

I think I can imagine the sensory aspect of like being in the pool and like, oh my T shirt is like. I'm feeling the sensory thing right now and I'm like, I would not go out of my way to do it. I can also just be like, sure, yeah, these aren't unpopular opinions. These are. I do weird shit. Which is fine.

[Shane]

It's fine, it's fine.

[Arasha]

You gotta keep it fresh.

[Courtney]

Yeah.

[Shane]

Especially when it comes to clothes. Someone said Said when I got my first welding job, it was during a record breaking heat wave and PPE requires you to be 100% covered and the company was good with handing out Gatorade. Mandatory popsicle brakes, mandatory lens cleaning cleaner was in the 68 degrees fahrenheit. AC office. It was still so hot and humid. I worked the hottest shift 3:00pm to 11:00pm we rotated weekly. I'd get home, take my disgusting clothes off, put on shorts and a T shirt, and lay under the shower. No bathtub at that apartment. With it on, as cold as possible. After I'd dry enough so I wasn't dripping, and sleep in wet clothes. Sometimes I'd soak a blanket.

[Arasha]

I could not have predicted where that was going.

[Shane]

That's. Whoa.

[Courtney]

You can't do that to your mattress. That's not good to have your mattress.

[Shane]

Like, please stop.

[Arasha]

Please. I know. That's genuinely what I feel like I'm fixating on, too, is, like, the furniture and the home and everything else that you're affecting. But if, like, the dryer was right outside the shower, like, I, I just, you know.

[Courtney]

Yeah, why not? I will say I finally came up with my. If this is what an unpopular opinion is, like, just. I do. Weird. I've got mine.

[Arasha]

Okay.

[Courtney]

I used to sleep in a sleeping bag as a teenager on my bed. Bed. I really liked the way that my sleeping bag felt. And I still have it. It's the same one I've had since, like, third grade. It was like an overnight trip that I got it. And yeah, I used to sleep on that. On my bed.

[Shane]

Whoa.

[Arasha]

We're still here.

[Courtney]

Thank you.

[Shane]

We're still here.

[Courtney]

And when I would do that, usually I'd turn in the corner and there'd be a dog pooping, and they'd be shitting in the corner, and we did not have a dog.

[Arasha]

Oh, okay. That's disgusting. That's weird.

[Courtney]

Weird.

[Shane]

I mean, I, I guess I have some weird sleeping habits. I, I. For the longest time, I was like, oh, I was tired of making my bed, and I lived alone, so I was like, I'm just gonna sleep on top of everything.

[Courtney]

Love doing.

[Shane]

So I would just sleep on top. Like, I would hop on my bed, on top of all of the covers, everything, and just lay on top, fall asleep. You know, living in Southern California, it's like, it's never too cold.

[Arasha]

Sure.

[Shane]

Or even too hot. And so just sleep on top and then just wake up and be like, great, my bed. My bed's made. I also, though, for the longest time and even still sometimes can just fall asleep on the carpet. Just flat on my back.

[Courtney]

Yes.

[Shane]

And I love that. Feels so good.

[Courtney]

Is this where we lose you?

[Arasha]

No, I'm with you. I'm with you.

[Shane]

Just do that.

[Arasha]

No, I'm completely with you. I, I, I. Because I heard that. I heard that theory about making your bed, too, where it's like, why are you making your Bed, you're just gonna get in it again. And it was. It definitely had me for a little bit.

[Shane]

I like a made bed. I love the look of a made bed. But I was just also, like, I was. Was rarely under the covers. I'd get too hot. So I was like, I just don't need to do this.

[Courtney]

I love sleeping on covers. I do.

[Shane]

It's the best.

[Courtney]

It feels great.

[Shane]

No last comment here is pretty wild. Someone said, and people judge me for showering in the dark. Seems normal compared to this. That's intense. I think it's not an unpopular thing, but I realize, like, people have like blackout curtains and stuff. People love darkness. I am so the opposite. I am a like, oh, get as much light.

[Arasha]

Light.

[Shane]

Sunlight. Not artificial light, but I love having, like, sunlight blasting through all my, like, as much sunlight as possible.

[Courtney]

Do you mean like during the day or like. Because when I'm thinking if it's, if it's just the right angle and the ass crack of dawn is like directly laser beam into my eye through the window.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Courtney]

I hate that.

[Shane]

Oh, see, I would want. I would want. I could sleep in sunlight. That's fine.

[Courtney]

Wow.

[Arasha]

Right? Shane and I can sleep wherever.

[Shane]

Yeah. But I love sunlight. I'm like, oh, if the sun's out, do not block.

[Courtney]

Buns are out.

[Arasha]

Okay, well, I feel like you guys shared some unpopular opinions, so I do have another one, but I don't have to say it.

[Courtney]

So, Arasha, please tell us what it is. We want to know. We're sorry.

[Arasha]

Okay. Fuck massages.

[Courtney]

Marry, punching, kill, acupuncture.

[Arasha]

Correct.

[Shane]

You don't like massages.

[Arasha]

I don't like massages. Like, I don't want pressure. I don't want.

[Shane]

You get no relief from a massage.

[Arasha]

No. It hurts.

[Shane]

You've never had an old, like, old woman walk on your back?

[Arasha]

No. Sometimes. Sometimes it's nice. But like that. Only for a little bit, though. Then I'm back to being like, now I'm just like, trying to go where you aren't.

[Courtney]

I used to hate massages because I feel like it would always tweak or twang something. And then I finally, finally, finally, like a year or so ago, went and went to like just one of those massage parlors that, like, it was like, this one has good reviews on Google. Great. And it was just this old, old lady. And they're like, we've got. There's the Swedish style and the, and the Thai style and we're gonna mix it up. And I was like, great. And it was like 60 minutes, and I was like, this changed my life.

[Arasha]

Yeah, see, but usually that means that they're gonna, like, fuck you up.

[Shane]

Oh, I want them to fuck me up.

[Arasha]

No, I don't want to be fucked up.

[Courtney]

I want to smell like tiger bomb in fear.

[Arasha]

No, no.

[Shane]

I want them to try to kill me.

[Arasha]

No, you, like. I just. You can just give me a nice, like, you know, nice pat you can give me What's.

[Shane]

What's gonna happen there.

[Arasha]

I'll feel cute.

[Courtney]

You should look into Reiki.

[Shane]

Oh, my Reiki.

[Arasha]

They don't touch you.

[Shane]

I don't want that.

[Courtney]

Beggars can be choosers, I guess.

[Arasha]

Yes.

[Shane]

My massages that I get. I'm like, no.

[Lingokids Narrator]

Are you a parent who feels guilty about screen time?

[Arasha]

No.

[Lingokids Narrator]

Well, no, not you, sweetheart, but your mommy and daddy do.

[Arasha]

Why?

[Lingokids Narrator]

Because too many apps are filled with AI garbage, inappropriate videos and RA content

[Arasha]

like a dancing potato or worse.

[Lingokids Narrator]

That's what parents worry about. We're Lingokids, and we're here to help parents out. Lingokids is the number one entertainment platform for young kids because kids love it and parents can trust it. They want something safe and fun. Yes, fun, but also something that actually

[Arasha]

teaches you big words like fomosynthesis. Fomosynthesis. Fomosynthesis.

[Lingokids Narrator]

Yeah, close enough. And they want fun songs, videos, and interactive games that help you grow, not

[Arasha]

turn you into a zombie that bites other zombies and then the zombies take over the world and then fly to space and live on the moon and fly in rocket ships on planets with loads of candy.

[Lingokids Narrator]

Yep,

[Courtney]

everything kids love.

[Shane]

And Doug, there's nowhere I wouldn't go to help someone customize and save on

[Lingokids Narrator]

car insurance with Liberty Mutual, even if it means sitting front row at a comedy show.

[Arasha]

Hey, everyone. Check out this guy and his bird.

[Shane]

What is this, your first date? Oh, no.

[Courtney]

We help people customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual together.

[Shane]

We're married. Me to a human, him to a bird. Yeah, the bird looks out of your league.

[Courtney]

Anyways, get a [e-mail] or with your local agent.

[Shane]

Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Please break my body.

[Courtney]

Please.

[Shane]

My body is too tight. You need to break it apart.

[Arasha]

No, I'm kind of even scared of a scratch. Like, I don't. I'm. I'm so frail. I'm so. I'm. I'm so. I'm just so fragile.

[Courtney]

Wait a minute, Arasha. I'm putting something together here. You wake up at 4:30, you're frail, have hollow bones. Are you a bird?

[Arasha]

Do Birds like watching dogs poop.

[Courtney]

I think they watch you at the park.

[Arasha]

I'm a bird.

[Shane]

All right, let's move on to our next unfortunate.

[Arasha]

Where are we?

[Shane]

Our next story comes from the unpopular opinion subreddit. So this is the og okay, okay. And they write, all hobbies are not equal. Certain kinds of hobbies deserve to be held in higher regard than others. Playing a sport, learning an instrument, singing, dancing, painting, writing. These are activities that require time and years of effort to become good at. They're admirable not just because they're cool, but because there is something deeply attractive about a person who has dedicated so time to mastering a hard skill that executing it now feels relaxing to them. Lately there's been a growing push online to classify things like watching movies, playing video games, watching sports, or listening to podcasts in the same category as these kinds of hobbies. They aren't. They are based on consumption, not creation. That doesn't mean consumption based activities are bad or useless. Everyone needs ways to relax and unwind. There's nothing wrong with enjoying a good show, a game, or a YouTube binge after a long day. But if that's all there is to your personal, then you are unfortunately a boring person. Edit. I've wrongly added video games to the list of other passive activities.

[Arasha]

Gamers.

[Shane]

Video games are like that. I agree that many require a lot of skill.

[Courtney]

It's true, we do.

[Shane]

Okay, I. I think it makes me. I have. I have a lot of thoughts regarding like this stuff and the way people are talking about stuff online of just like, they're not equal. Like, all these things. A part of me kind of just boils it down to like, like, what? What do you care? Like, why do I care? Like, I don't know why it reminds me to. People talk a lot about this with reading. They talk about like, people go, audiobooks don't count. Right? Like, I hear that a lot, that opinion. And I kind of keep thinking, like, count as what? Like, what are you talking about? When I read a book, I'm like, I have gained one.

[Courtney]

Smart. Yeah.

[Shane]

So I'm like, no. Like, I love that. I'm like, I. Yeah, like, okay. Like I'm. Now what I do see is maybe the category thing of like. Like I could see books, movies, TV shows and stuff as being like interests. And I agree that I'm like, what do you classify something that you physically do as opposed to something that you are interested in? Right? Like, because I love watching movies and TV shows, but I'm like, that's just. I'M just watching those. But if I talk about like, oh, but I like, yeah, playing a video game, I'm like, that's something I'm actively into an activity. An activity. But I'm also like, like. But at the end of the day, I'm not like, one is be like, better than the other.

[Courtney]

How.

[Arasha]

Yeah, we're not like classifying on a human resonant.

[Shane]

What are we talking about?

[Courtney]

They've like, they've set up this weird hierarchy that they made up and now they're mad about it.

[Shane]

And I pissed myself off.

[Courtney]

I pissed myself off again. And I do kind of get what they're saying. But like, yeah, not every hobby is going to give you a skill. If pursuing a skill in something is your hobby, that's awesome. And sure, you can look at that and be like, to me, it's more interesting that you're someone that knows how to play the mandolin because you wanted to do that, as opposed to someone who just wanted to watch a TV show. But that just means, like, you're just talking about the kind of people you want to hang out with. And like, this isn't like a. Yeah, they think they're winning the competition versus the guitar guy. Yeah, nobody thinks that.

[Arasha]

You're so. You're so right. And I think putting like the word skill on top of it really helps put it together because. Because in hearing it back, I was kind of like, who cares? Yeah, like, it doesn't really matter separating these hobbies like that. But then when you put it to. To skill, then it's kind of like, maybe that's when it becomes a little more competitive with other people. And people try to have like, you know, different. Different tools and in their tool belt and stuff. And so it starts to feel like, oh, well. Oh, you paint? Oh, well, I sing. Oh, well, I watch tv. And it's like, well, that's not the same thing. And it's like, like it doesn't. It doesn't really matter.

[Shane]

It's funny because he calls out, he says they're based on consumption and. But. But his whole take is very much based on, like, what's your value to society? Like, how productive are you?

[Arasha]

Yeah.

[Shane]

Which is also like a very like, kind of capitalist thing of like, hey, man, like, most skills aren't like, gonna gain you much. My hobby is my side hustle ultimately, for, like, what makes you feel good, like you're here on earth, like, have fun, like, do what you enjoy. And some people enjoy watching a movie, and some people enjoy knitting and some People enjoy playing. They're all seeking the same thing, which is just.

[Courtney]

It's a pastime.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Courtney]

And look, I. I am somebody that has such a hard time turning off the brain and actually, like, relaxing.

[Arasha]

Yes.

[Courtney]

I'm like, why are you splitting hairs? Like, dude, I just want to be able to, like, enjoy myself for a minute. If somebody was just like, watching a movies and say, you should learn a new language, I'd be like, yourself, I just want to relax.

[Arasha]

I totally agree. I totally agree. And honestly, I didn't. I didn't mind so much of the post at the beginning. Like, if. If you choose to put lab on things like that, totally fine. And then at the end when they kind of were like, oh, if you're like watching a bunch of YouTube videos or whatever, you're boring.

[Shane]

You're a boring person that I did

[Arasha]

not like because I feel the exact same way. It's very hard to turn my brain off from thinking about the tasks or the events or the past or the world, literally everything. And so if what it takes is watching some TV and it. And it tends to be for hours into the night, it's like, that is how I'm choosing to spend my time. That doesn't that then classify me as a boring person?

[Shane]

It's very funny. You're a boring person. I'm like, what actually makes people interesting is not necessarily what they do in their life. It's typically what makes a person interesting is how interested they are in the people they're talking to, what they receive. So I'm kind of like, yeah, a boring person is usually someone who's just obsessed with themselves, regardless of what they're doing in their life. I don't meet someone, I'm like, oh, I want to be friends with you because you've done so much in your life. I'm like, no, I want to be friends with you because it's cool hanging out with you.

[Arasha]

Agreed.

[Shane]

I'm like, what the hell is this person? This person is unfortunately just kind of feels like they've objectified everyone around them in a way or just kind of putting them all in this weird competition. Yeah, that's really unfortunate.

[Arasha]

It feels like a lesson plan on how to be a human being.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Arasha]

That's not a course we really all want to take.

[Courtney]

No. Well, I could use it, I guess. I guess I need it.

[Arasha]

All right.

[Shane]

I was saying earlier that, like, a hobby to me, I guess is like, is it active like, and versus, like a pastime or an interest being something you just engage with but it's kind of. There's a lot that, like, ride the line because it's like, I don't know, like, reading is an interesting one because, like, it, I, I. You have to focus when you're doing it. But it is also just that I'm like, I don't feel like it's that much different than a TV show. And some TV shows are really like, yeah, I don't have to think that hard, but some TV shows, you got to pay hardcore attention. And it's like reading a book.

[Arasha]

Oh, yeah, for me.

[Shane]

So. So, I don't know, I guess I

[Courtney]

could look at the literal definitions of the words and be like, okay, I'm gonna categorize these. But in terms of just colloquially speaking, I use them interchangeably. And I'm like, I don't know why I would look at anything and be like, that's not a hobby. Like, your enjoyment of watching a TV show is not going to take away me learning how to. Yo, yo. You know what I mean? So I'm just like, okay, if I'm a boring person, then I don't think I'm gonna get along with this person anyway.

[Arasha]

I think for me, too, I' I think I rarely even use the word hobby. When I'm talking with people and I am having a conversation about their interests. I often just say, what do you like to do for fun?

[Shane]

Right. Which is really what it boils down to.

[Arasha]

Right.

[Shane]

What you're doing for fun.

[Arasha]

Yeah. And then it feels like maybe there's a little less pressure. If I'm like, what are your hobbies? Then it's like, oh, well, okay, let me go through all of, like, the events or the classes that I take and stuff.

[Courtney]

Right?

[Arasha]

When at the end of the day, it's just like, what do you do when you're not at your job? Like, that's just what I'm trying to figure out.

[Courtney]

That's what I ask people now when I'm meeting them. And, you know, because usually people go like, so, what do you do? Like, what's your job?

[Arasha]

Yeah.

[Courtney]

I started asking, what do you like to do? As my first thing. And people always pause. They're like, what do you mean? I'm just like, what do you enjoy doing? As opposed to like, who are you to me? What's your job? Oh, you're goose. Like, you know, they're like, banking. Yeah, exactly.

[Arasha]

I like to do banking.

[Courtney]

Like, remember that you were a person, wild and free, born outside of a system.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Arasha]

That they then put you in checking

[Shane]

Accounts what also this guy has done that's like soul sucking is. He's talking about these skills in a matter of, like, developing the skills and getting better at it.

[Courtney]

Yeah.

[Shane]

So it's like, oh, if I enjoy drawing, but I draw for the next year and my drawings look the same at the end of the year as they did at the beginning, should I stop? Well, you're boring. It's like, yeah, it's like, oh, well, you're not developing the skill. It's like, well, I'm just doing it because it's fun.

[Arasha]

It's. It's like the format of, like, Sims. When you, like, you know, do just enough, then you upgrade to the second level. And I think that they are.

[Shane]

He's viewing everything is like, how am I better? I need to keep improving.

[Arasha]

That's.

[Shane]

That's awful. It's also like, I think there's a beauty to this, but it's like, hey, man, everything that you're going to develop and gain in your life, you're going to lose it all eventually too, because eventually you're going to be 60 and

[Arasha]

then you're dead and then you go to the thresher. Yeah. So unpopular opinion. Just chill out. Just relax.

[Shane]

Comments? Well, I like knitting while watching tv. Skilly. Consumery. Someone said the purpose of a hobby isn't to be impressive, so it doesn't make sense to rank them by that attribute. Someone said, isn't a hobby something you enjoy doing? Someone replied to that, saying, I was taught that a hobby is something you could improve in even if you never invest the effort to do. So. Otherwise, it's a pastime. Sounds like Op. Subconsciously feels the difference but can't articulate it. I just think it's interesting, though, because, like, you develop a lot of skill. Like, I think about. I'll throw out a name. Luke at the Smosh office has. He watches so many movies and you could say, like, oh, it's a pastime. But what he's developed is he has a vast understanding of movies, directors. Like, he can talk about all these movies. He knows how they're. They're made. Like, he knows all these aspects. I'm like, there is something that is being developed there, though.

[Arasha]

Yeah, right.

[Shane]

And like, especially we're in this industry, like, he, he's an editor. So, like, it is a. It is developing a skill.

[Arasha]

Yeah. It's research.

[Shane]

I don't, I don't know. Like, I don't, I don't know where, where I, where I'd place these things. But ultimately yeah. My take is, I'm like, kind of like, I just don't care enough.

[Arasha]

Yeah. If you want to get technical with the words and the definitions, it's like, sure, you might. You might lose that argument here and there, but I think we kind of have agreed that it ultimately is just an enjoyment thing.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Courtney]

Shall we agree?

[Arasha]

I think.

[Shane]

Shall we agree?

[Arasha]

I think we agree.

[Courtney]

It's a little bit like that meme of the format anyway, of just like a group of people huddled and then one person's being like, actually, you can't really do that for the thing in the. One of those. And then like one person pops out of the giant group of. And goes. And then goes back in. Yeah. I mean, like, as though.

[Shane]

I know what you're talking about.

[Arasha]

I know what you're talking about.

[Shane]

You've seen it. You've definitely seen it. Anyways, moving on, next story. This is Back to the 10th dentist. The worm girlfriend question is logical. Remember, would you love me if I was a worm?

[Arasha]

I know, exactly.

[Shane]

Here we go.

[Arasha]

This is a reference sign.

[Shane]

Here we go. Ago. This was posted like a year and a half ago. When a girl asks, would you love me if I was a worm? It's not random. It's a vehicle for more serious concerns. What she's actually asking is, will you love me when I'm not like this? When I'm old and gross, when I'm not sexually available, when I need help and I can't reciprocate, when your friends judge you, when our goals and dreams derail, when I can't give you what I'm giving you now, a worm ticks all of those boxes. Why ask it that way? Fear of dishonesty. The idea that guys are primed to say, of course, whether it's true or not, that the way to get to the truth is to ask in a roundabout way. A guy who might lie about whether or not he'd stay if she got cancer could be shaken out of autopilot and answer honestly. And the aversion men can have to discussing serious things. Some guys shut down completely, some guys get mad, some guys blow it off. Off if it's not happening. They don't necessarily understand why it's worth thinking about. So if she needs reassurance, she may know or believe it's not going to happen that way. It's not the best way to go about it. Obviously. The best way is usually to lead with what the problem is, need for honest reassurance and ask outright so it's ineffective when Compared to more direct communication, does that mean it's illogical? No, there's a reason behind asking it in that way. The progression from problem to solution is logical. It's just also not the best solution.

[Arasha]

Okay, I'm on board.

[Shane]

All right.

[Courtney]

I have some thoughts.

[Shane]

Okay.

[Arasha]

Okay.

[Courtney]

I think the question. The meaning behind it depends on the asker. Like, it's really nice to espouse meaning to it like that. And I think for some people, if you're, like, gonna break it down, sure. But the fact of the matter is, a lot of people were just seeing the trend of being like, would you love me if I was a worm? And I think it's just quite the literal of just, like, if I was a little worm, how would you feel about it? Like, this is great. This is a great way to break it down. And sure, it could open up those doors and whatever, but I'm like, I hate this phrase. I'm so sorry. But I do think one of those was just, like, it. It's not that deep. When people were asking it, it was not that deep.

[Shane]

It was a trend for good conversations to have. But it also. It rides the line of, like, tests. Like, on TikTok, there was the whole, like, orange test, where it's like, oh, asking your boyfriend, like, can you peel this orange for me?

[Arasha]

Yes.

[Shane]

And they would film it. And then it's like, whether the boyfriend peeled it or not would indicate if they're good or not. And I'. If you're at the point where you need to test your partner, I think you're already past, like, more serious things. Like, if you're. If you're not able to communicate effectively, if you feel like if the premise of this question of, like, would you love me if I was a worm? If you need to already phrase it in a weird way to trick your partner to talk to you honestly, you're maybe already just shouldn't be with that person.

[Arasha]

Yeah.

[Shane]

Because you don't trust them. But I see what they're saying, though. They're saying that for a lot of women out there, outside of the TikTok trends, that. That the. Is a way of actually getting to a real answer. It could be more than asking the real question. But I agree with you. The way I saw it the entire time was like, it was done so much as a joke almost, that it was like, is this real? But they're saying there could be realness to it.

[Arasha]

I agree that there. That there are honest takeaways from the question. Like, all of that reads like it makes sense, you know, especially like when. When you boil it down to, you know, would you love me if I wasn't able to give you all of these things? Which is basically what it is. But for me, I think the. The illogical action is having to ask it like that.

[Shane]

Yes.

[Arasha]

Instead of just being more direct and having it being like, I am feeling like this or just straight up, like, like, what is important to you in this relationship? Like, what are the qualities that make you stay between. Like, maybe it's a little more. I think definitely it's more difficult to bring up those uncomfortable conversations with your partner. And I understand that this maybe provided a tool for people to be able to open up that conversation and that dialogue. And I think for that reason it might be okay. But. But I totally hear you on the trap and the test of it all. And that does not feel. Feel appropriate and it certainly doesn't feel healthy because then it leaves a lot of men, or I mean, typically it was women asking their boyfriends this question. Right. It, I think, puts on the receiving partner of any kind to basically be like, okay, now I have to answer this question in the most correct way possible in order to win and get it right, as opposed to responding with that same truth and saying, well, these are the things that I think I could possibly endure and genuinely what keeps me in our relationship. It just feels like it takes away from the honesty when you. When you kind of put it some. Some sort of silly umbrella, like, on a worm. On it.

[Shane]

Yeah. Because isn't it just boiling it down to I don't believe you really love me is like, what the question is kind of really saying? It's like, hey, man, got a real big issue here. And the logical thing is to talk about it in a real way. And if you don't believe his answers or if he can't talk about. About it, then that's where you're at.

[Courtney]

This is also a huge trap to me specifically because I. If you're like me, you take things literally. My answer for these two things would be completely different if it was an adult human being. Like, hi, I might get sick one day. Or like, I might look different or my energy levels might change. Could you still love me through that? My answer would be, yeah, but if they were like, would you be able to love me if I was a worm? My answer would be like, oh, probably not, because you're a worm. Is there any hope of getting better? You're just a worm forever for the rest of our world. You still worm now, so we can't communicate through language. I don't know the anatomy of like, how to help you. It would be extremely difficult to like feed you. It would be extremely difficult. Like there would be no reciprocation at all. But a sick person. I could. So I would fail the worm question in just a blaze of glory. But as a person I'd be like, oh, I'll stand by yourself side.

[Arasha]

Yes, yes. And the tik tok trend doesn't think about cases like that at all. Like the trend of it all is just like, oh, everybody universally can use this and it's going to answer your questions and fix your relationship. And that's why it's so irresponsible. I think I've seen so many stuff like that. There's like the bird theory too.

[Shane]

There's a new theory every day.

[Arasha]

Or, or there's like, you know, the if he wanted to, he would and all of that.

[Shane]

It's very toxic.

[Arasha]

It's so toxic. And I think it just programs all of us to think like, oh, well, if my situation, if my relationship, if my life, my routine doesn't look like the one I'm watching, there's something that I need to fix or there's something wrong with me. Sure, yeah, it's a very twisted cycle. I. I don't like it at all. But I understand like the, the polls, the psych, the psychology behind that. I understand what this post means.

[Shane]

Yeah. Some comments here. Someone said so many of OP's stated concerns are about sex and attraction, which is weirdly shallow. How are you to have a conversation with a worm? How is a worm supposed to portray its personality? If a human did somehow become a worm, it would be totally indistinguishable from a normal worm. There would be no possible expression of humanity. There would be no her. What a dumb question. Someone else said. Someone else said I'm a woman. No woman in my circle takes the question this seriously. It's mostly asked in jest to see how their boyfriend would respond. Usually something funny. What I'm trying to say is. Sir, this is a Wendy's last Someone said the answer is no. If I can't recognize, recognize or communicate with you in any way, shape or form, then a relationship is impossible. That is also logical.

[Courtney]

Yeah, it's. It's one of those where like I find that people do this a lot with like maybe astrology or you know, whatever, where they will just find something that sounds like really well thought out and in depth and they will tie it to Something not calling out astrology specifically. I'm just saying, like, I see this a lot online where they're like, actually, if you're someone that grabs the spoon before you grab the bowl, you are someone that is decisive and is ready for action and you leave the planning to others. And people are like, that is right. Like, it's a question of like, oh, if you're doing the worm question, what you're really asking is this.

[Arasha]

Yeah.

[Courtney]

Are you? Is that what you wanted to know?

[Arasha]

So true.

[Shane]

I think people feel very much a lack of control nowadays, which is reasonable. And I think we are. We are starved for any sort of like, definitive answers on things. And we love. We people love, especially online. The. It's this or it's that.

[Arasha]

Yeah, yeah.

[Shane]

And it's like. And now you know. And it's like, sorry, my man. Things are fucking gray. Nuance, especially relationships. Like, this is purple.

[Courtney]

Is it really?

[Arasha]

Oh, shit. Leave in the comments down below.

[Courtney]

Sometimes I have hard times with grays, but I'm getting like a green and gray.

[Arasha]

I guess I always thought it was like. Like mauve.

[Courtney]

Wait, are we being serious?

[Lingokids Narrator]

The number one job of any parent is to look out for their kids.

[Arasha]

Sometimes mom doesn't let me use my tablet.

[Lingokids Narrator]

Well, that is part of looking out for you. Your parents want to make sure you're safe while you're having fun. I guess that's what we want too. We're Lingokids, and we're here to help parents out. Lingokids is the number one entertainment platform for young kids because kids love it and parents can trust it.

[Arasha]

What's he got?

[Lingokids Narrator]

Lingokids has lots of fun stuff that parents can feel good, like songs and shows, plus activities featuring beloved Disney characters from Disney's Moana, Frozen, and more.

[Arasha]

I love Disney stories.

[Lingokids Narrator]

Who doesn't? Lingokids has over 1 million daily users,

[Shane]

so it looks like a lot of people love it already.

[Lingokids Narrator]

Plus, when your parents download the Lingokids app, they can get a one week free trial. Lingokids, everything kids love, download the app for free.

[Shane]

And Doug, there's nowhere I wouldn't go to help someone customize and save on

[Lingokids Narrator]

car insurance with Liberty Mutual, Even if it means sitting front row at a comedy show.

[Arasha]

Hey, everyone, check out this guy and his bird. What is this, your first date?

[Shane]

Oh, no.

[Courtney]

We help people customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual together.

[Shane]

We're married. Me to a human, him to a bird. Yeah, the bird looks out of your league.

[Courtney]

Anyways, get a'[e-mail]. or with your local agent.

[Shane]

Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty.

[Arasha]

A little. A dusty lavender.

[Courtney]

Are you serious right now? Are you fucking with me?

[Arasha]

Not giving.

[Shane]

It looks gray to me.

[Arasha]

Not dusty at all. It's gray. But I thought my pants were gray. They're both gray. I'm wearing a gray.

[Shane]

Your gray is closer to a beige. Like, gray, but closer to a beige. This is like, your jacket's like a darker gray than the pants.

[Arasha]

Nobody look at me. My socks are white.

[Courtney]

I'm trying to figure out right now if I'm colorblind. And that's what I'm.

[Shane]

I'm focused on.

[Arasha]

Correct.

[Shane]

But, yeah, people love the black and white. They love the, like, no, he's bad. No, he's good. And here's how you find out. And it's one of two answers. It's like, there's none of that. A relationship doesn't usually have much of that.

[Courtney]

That's how it is on Reddit stories. Often too, is like, even when we sort of cast someone as the villain in our mind and, like, there's a lot of work to be done, the first response is always just like, dump him and kill him. And I'm like, well, sometimes, but not every time. Not every time.

[Arasha]

I completely agree. That even makes me feel like. Like, you know, with the insecurity of I don't think you love me enough. I feel like it's actually even one step before that where it's kind of like fishing for being like, hey, like, do you love me a lot? Can you say that you love me a lot right now? And it's like, if they come up with this, like, cutesy answer that's like, yeah, babe, I'm going to love you when you're a worm or a bug or bird and you're like, oh, my God, yay. Like, and it's just like this again. It's that little, like, dopamine spike where you're like, and then she's going to need it again and you're going to need it again. And then you're like, well, now what if I was an insect? Insect.

[Shane]

Right.

[Courtney]

You're exactly right. Though you do generally go fishing with a worm. Yeah. Whoa.

[Arasha]

Whoa.

[Shane]

All right, our next story, Our next unpopular opinion. I skip every single dialogue or cutscene in every game I play. Even in story driven games, my time is super limited. I do not care about the story. Neither in GTA nor Red Dead, Redemption, the Witcher, Cyberpunk 2077, and many more. I just don't give a fuck about the Story. I just want to play, play, do something and not be a spectator. That's what I use movies and TV shows for. I acknowledge that I am obviously missing what make these games magical and experiences, but I mean it only affects myself. So yeah, I get like two to three hours a week to play video games and I want to use these hours to actually play and not listen to someone talk. Cheers Edit. Just a little addendum. I also think it's kind of pathetic when people look down on others because they're not playing on the hardest difficulty. Omg. Then it's not even a challenge. How boring. Dude. I want to relax, not sweat over having to start over and over and beat some boss in Dark Souls or Elden ring. I'm a 33 year old man, married guy with a demanding job, physically exhaustive, exhausting hobbies and a mortgage. Life brings enough challenges as it is. When I play games, I just want a short escape from reality. I don't want a challenge. I want to relax, buddy.

[Courtney]

This, this dude is beat.

[Shane]

Red. What the hell is going on, man? Why are you so angry? Physically exhausting. He brought up his hobbies as if they're like a problem. I mean like, God, I got to keep yo.

[Arasha]

Oh, he's so angry.

[Shane]

He's mad. I can feel his anger.

[Courtney]

Oh man, sun's going down. Big fell.

[Arasha]

I know.

[Shane]

I'm also kind of like, hey man, you know you don't have to play those games. You can play any game you want.

[Courtney]

He gave two opinions here and the first one is like, look, I'm a voice actor. I voice in video games. I'm proud of the work that I do as I'm sure most people in the industry are of the work that they do. Skip it. If you want to skip it, man, you bought the game and that you're going to play it how you. I don't care. And regarding the difficulty thing, like, you know, I do think game designers intend for there to be a specific experience. If you need some help or need it to be easier in order for you to enjoy it, great.

[Arasha]

I don't.

[Courtney]

Yeah, I don't give a live your life play game.

[Shane]

You know. You know, I feel like is happening with this guy is, is he's reading too much shit online.

[Courtney]

Yeah.

[Shane]

Because this, these are opinions that I see a lot. Only online.

[Courtney]

Yeah.

[Shane]

Of people being like, oh, you're not experiencing the game for real or you're not playing it on the hard. The only people I've heard, heard talk about you should play games on the hardest difficulty are on forums or Reddit posts.

[Courtney]

Sure.

[Shane]

In real life, people are just like, hey, man, how's it going? Like that.

[Arasha]

Are you having a good time? Yeah.

[Shane]

Like, it's a different vibe.

[Arasha]

Totally. He's, he's mad at the Internet.

[Shane]

He's mad at the Internet.

[Courtney]

And who among us isn't?

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Arasha]

Among us.

[Shane]

Truly. I, I, this reminds me, like, when the Internet, when I pull up just things and it just pisses me off, I'm like, what did I do? And I imagine it from my cat's perspective. Perspective of me being fine, being normal, pulling out my phone and just being like, fuck. And he's like, my cat must be like, why does he keep looking at that stone? Like, I'm like, I sometimes refer to my phone as my piss me off device.

[Arasha]

Yes.

[Shane]

I'm just like, that's what it does sometimes. I'm like, why do I do this?

[Arasha]

That's awesome.

[Shane]

I've gained nothing.

[Courtney]

It's still the chemical release. Either way. I've had to stop going on certain apps because I'm just like, oh, I'm just mad all the time.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Courtney]

I can't do it.

[Arasha]

Or sad.

[Shane]

It's just a bummer.

[Arasha]

It's just constantly a bummer because it's never going to be, like, full of truth. It's never going to be, like an, an honest outlook of the whole world. Just, just people that feel really strongly and often have an opinion that's going to upset other people.

[Shane]

Yeah. And to be, to be clear, I'm not even reading, like, the news. I'm, like, looking up bullshit. I'm looking up bullshit online about things and people. Like a Reddit post. I'm like, oh, yeah, I don't need this information.

[Arasha]

Totally.

[Shane]

I just got mad.

[Arasha]

Or just like, with social media too. Like, it's just you, you look at other people, you start comparing your lives, you see how they're living, and then it just becomes like, I think it's almost like that, that, that theory of, kind of like, if somebody else is not doing exactly what you're doing, then you must be doing something wrong.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Arasha]

So you immediately feel invalidated because that person is not doing the same thing as you.

[Courtney]

Sure.

[Arasha]

And it's, it's really troubling. And obviously on social media, you're going to be exposed to so many different people doing other things. Things. So if you're prone to that and you're like, having to, having to come to your own defense so much so that you're writing this very angry Reddit post. It's like you're the only one who's really heated up about this.

[Courtney]

You know what I just put together too? Oh, here's how we got to that connection. When you play a game, a modern game, and you want to choose an easier difficulty, they don't call it easy difficulty. That's too, there's too many associations with that. They call call it story mode. They're like, these are for newer casual players who just want to experience the story, meaning like combat and things aren't going to be as hard. So that's why he's seeing that. Being like, I hate the story. And as someone that hates the story, it's that they make me think that I want to watch it when I just need it to be easier.

[Shane]

Yeah, this guy's just mad about things he doesn't need to be mad about. Yeah, he needs to enjoy his hobby.

[Arasha]

He needs to get a hobby.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Arasha]

And it's not video. Video games. Just kidding. It's a hobby.

[Courtney]

Well, some of us get pretty good at it.

[Shane]

Some people are pretty goated. Comments. Honestly, this subreddit has so many garbage and poorly thought out. Takes that. When I see one like this, I just think, yeah, sure, I disagree. No notes. Upvote Op responded. Opie responded. I would never have posted here if my colleague hadn't told me that. It's super weird that I don't care about the story of games that the developers obviously put a lot of thought into. What can I say? I am still traumatized by that one Metal Gear game that had like a 40 minute cut scene. I know that it's Kojima's thing, but come on, I am trying to game here and I'm in a hurry. He's talking about Metal Gear Solid four and that happened.

[Arasha]

I mean, that was, that was my other theory was that it was one person who upset him and he was like, everybody sucks.

[Shane]

Well, two people. His buddy and then Hideo Kojima, the Dayo game Gima.

[Courtney]

Can, Can I say something real quick?

[Shane]

Sure, yeah.

[Courtney]

I, I, I was at a con this past weekend and David Hater was, was there and he like walked by me. We were like swapping out in this like photo area. I was like, excuse me, David Hater. And he's like, yeah. And I was like, I love your work. And he goes, hey, you're pretty good.

[Shane]

Wow. And I was like, off the cuff. He did it. Whoa.

[Courtney]

And then he sat behind me on the bus. It was nice. Wow.

[Shane]

Someone said, why don't you just not play story games COD and HD2 have good graphics. Opie said. I mean yeah I could but it's not like story driven games don't give me anything. I just don't really care about the story. I mean I enjoy RPGs, I enjoy farming for XP, research, resources, etc I enjoy doing quests. I just don't care about the why.

[Courtney]

Somebody leave this man alone. I Dude, I love story and games so much it's half the reason I play. But like I'm not gonna sit. If I if I like want to tell you about a game, I'll tell you about the story and be like you're gonna love this, it's gonna be great. But if I was like are you playing this game? And you're like yeah, we're playing the same game. And you were like but I don't care about the story. That's just the end of that part of the conversation.

[Shane]

Yeah, like who gives a.

[Arasha]

You're not.

[Shane]

Someone else said, why do you play story based games then? It must be boring as hell. Op said. Because I still enjoy the graphics and the gameplay. To be completely honest though, my favorite game series of all time is the Orcs Must Die series. Super easy to learn, no story, just plain tower defense and super fun. Still from time to time I like to play other games because I find the world slash mechanics, slash graphics super interesting. I just don't really care about the story. I'm more of a film buff. All right man, yeah for sure.

[Courtney]

And also I hate video games for

[Shane]

this and also I despise video games. Lastly, someone said then don't play story driven games. I guess upvoted. Side note, if you had more time to yourself, do you think you'd actually get invested in a story or do you think you'd still skip past everything Opie said? I've asked myself that question. Honestly, I don't know. I am freshly married, I have a demanding job for which I have to travel abroad a lot and I don't think that I'd use the fictional extra time for diving deeper into video games. I don't want to on developers here. Don't get wrong me, me wrong. I know that a lot of video games have beautiful storylines etc but I'm super impatient and when I get the time to play I want to play, not listen to dialogue minute after minute. There are plenty of games that cater to my tastes but sometimes I just want to have the freedom of an open world and everything else except for all the dialogues. Haha. God damn.

[Arasha]

You know what you Know what it is, too, is that he's not even asking for help.

[Courtney]

Yeah.

[Arasha]

He doesn't want advice.

[Shane]

No.

[Arasha]

He. He's just, like, putting it out there, and people are still like, well, why don't you do this and why don't you do that? He's like, because I don't want to. And I don't think.

[Shane]

I don't want to, man. This is the 10th dentist, right?

[Arasha]

So let. Let this man live.

[Shane]

Let him do his thing.

[Arasha]

Let him do his thing. He is a married man, freshly married, and he is exhausted.

[Shane]

He did at the end there. He did at the end. I know. The way he's talking about his life, I was thinking he's like. He's like, oh, I have a. I'm fucking married.

[Arasha]

I have a new father. I'm tired.

[Shane]

Can I be honest? I don't really care. Like, this guy's a. To do whatever he wants. A lot of his shit's not adding up for me. He's talking about how he's like, yeah, I love The Witcher. Cyberpunk, 2077, Red Dead Redemption. She's talking about games that all came out in, like, the past five years. He says he only has two hours a week. I'm like, I don't believe you've beaten all these.

[Courtney]

I don't believe you've even, like, freshly married baby.

[Shane]

Before that. Before that. Before his wife ru.

[Arasha]

His new wife and his stupid job that sends him around the world wild.

[Shane]

Cuz it's exhausting. And he has all this time to be in Reddit arguing with people about. I'm like, I. What's going on here, dude? Why are you so mad? Your life. You're describing your life being pretty, not horrible. I don't know. This is a funny guy. Yeah. Anyways, he did also perfectly. He did. He did describe Breath of the Wild perfectly at the end there. He wanted an open world with no dialogue. I'm like, yeah, that's why I love Breath of the Wild. It's just. Just stuff you just run around.

[Courtney]

Yeah. No dialogue.

[Shane]

He's just like, yeah.

[Arasha]

Truly spoilers.

[Courtney]

Oh, shoot.

[Shane]

That is. That is a lot. All right, it's time for our final unpopular opinion. They write, we should put dinosaurs on money instead of imperfect dead people. Ooh.

[Courtney]

I'm here for it.

[Arasha]

Holy shit.

[Courtney]

I. Oh, dude, dude, check out the shirt.

[Shane]

There it is.

[Arasha]

Dead dude on a dinosaur.

[Shane]

Yeah. Yeah. 100 would be the ferocious Tyrannosaurus.

[Arasha]

He's just getting into it.

[Shane]

He said, example 50 would be the invincible Triceratops. 20. The mighty Ankylosaurus. 5. The indomitable Apatosaurus. 1. The indefatigable.

[Courtney]

Indefatigable. Indefatigable. Not the easiest word.

[Shane]

Whatever.

[Arasha]

Maybe we cut that word.

[Shane]

How about, how about the one would be Pterosaurs. Dead human beings simply cannot live up to the purity standards demanded of them by living human beings. The only AV avatars of perfection that can withstand the crucible of self righteous moral relativism are the mighty dinosaurs. For 200 million years, the dinosaurs ruled the earth. And, and, and T Rex were, they were in North America. They were in that you can find their fossils in Montana and stuff. So they're an American icon.

[Courtney]

I, I have notes like Ankylosaurus. Ankylosaurus. However you say it, that's always been my favorite. Love that being on the 20. That's great. No problem.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Courtney]

Um, but like T Rex on the hundred, that feels a little basic. Sure. We need, we need some more like American staples like the Utah Raptor. That's a thing. Put that on the five.

[Shane]

Or the Utah Jazz.

[Courtney]

The Utah Jazz. Only dinosaurs in basketball now.

[Shane]

Basketball player, 5 year old who wrote it? Yeah, dinosaurs.

[Courtney]

Dinosaurs in basketball. The Triceratops, though, I don't think that's, I don't think that's the move. I think they'd found that that was like a, a different stage of a different dinosaur.

[Shane]

It was like multiple. That is gonna be. The tough thing is like I feel like dinosaurs, we shift are what they looked like. Like, did they have feathers? What did their feathers look like? What, what, what's their shape? What's their color? I, I would argue more. I like what this angle is though, because like look, we have Andrew Jackson on one of the bills and that guy was a monster. Yeah, he sucks. Yeah, he was awful.

[Arasha]

Why?

[Courtney]

Okay, well, unroll the scrolls.

[Shane]

I would argue more for, for animals, but like put like bison, like look, iconic American legend bison. Put like moose. Angela. Angela won't know what those are. But you know, you just put them on there.

[Arasha]

Right.

[Shane]

And then like famous American, like look, I have just a bald eagle.

[Arasha]

Do we have to have pictures on them?

[Shane]

I think you gotta have, you have to have like stuff to recognize.

[Arasha]

We could just put a big one on on it.

[Shane]

It's so easy.

[Courtney]

Like spongebob money. Just like a giant one on a green square.

[Arasha]

Yeah. And then a 5 and a 10 drawn by crayon. And you just tell people this one's real.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Courtney]

I think we should alternate. I think it needs to be like dinosaurs. Like you know, for the history. History. And then like figures that we actually like. Like there was that movement for like Harriet Tubman to be on the 20th, I think it was. So I think it needs be to. To be like Ankylosaurus. Harriet Tubman, like a Archaeopterus dream.

[Arasha]

Blunt rotation.

[Courtney]

T. Rex. Like, yeah, like famed American poet Langston Hughes.

[Shane]

Just like Pterodactyl. Dolly Parton.

[Courtney]

Dolly Parton.

[Arasha]

This lineup is crazy.

[Courtney]

Sorry, put that. It's been right here the whole time. Oh, Harriet Tubman, like mounted on a full apartment. Dinotosaurus.

[Arasha]

Okay.

[Courtney]

Like, oh, my God.

[Arasha]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Courtney]

Draw it, draw it.

[Arasha]

Yeah, yeah.

[Shane]

Comments? Imagining how stoned you were when you wrote this made me laugh. Someone said, I wish this would happen, but there would be controversy about making the dinosaurs historically accurate. Do we show them with feathers or not? Maybe just do the skeleton. At least we're confident on that. Someone said, I would like to nominate the horseshoe crab for the silver dollar coin. They may not be a dinosaur proper, but they've been around 450 million years and have played a crucial role in manufacturing vaccines. True. Do they help make them?

[Courtney]

Yeah, they're little up hands.

[Shane]

No, I got this. Don't worry.

[Courtney]

Their blood, which is blue, has something to do with like doing that. Yeah.

[Shane]

Lastly, someone said, wrong sub for this, mate. This is a solid opinion that would benefit any culture with the courage to implement it.

[Courtney]

I think it's.

[Arasha]

It just unfortunately will never happen.

[Shane]

No.

[Courtney]

Well, never say never.

[Arasha]

I also need to say, like, you know, if anybody is thinking about sending me, like, videos or photos of like dogs pooping, you don't have to because I, like, I will seek them out myself. I will see them in public all the time now.

[Shane]

It's weird that you're looking up videos.

[Arasha]

Well, no, no, I'm not. No. I just in like my life.

[Courtney]

Okay, got it.

[Arasha]

As I like, you know, am walking outside and stuff, can I give you

[Courtney]

one note as a friend?

[Arasha]

Yeah.

[Courtney]

C sharp. No. Can I. I think you were saying, like, you don't have to. Again, as someone that takes it literally, I'm like, oh, well, I still can. It's no problem.

[Arasha]

I see.

[Courtney]

Be direct at the camera. Don't. Don't do it. Or do it.

[Arasha]

Okay. Please don't.

[Courtney]

There we go.

[Arasha]

Please don't.

[Shane]

Okay.

[Arasha]

I don't need that.

[Courtney]

The person with social grace to send you a shitting dog video is also not going to understand the. Maybe you could.

[Shane]

Maybe they're still going to.

[Arasha]

But, you know, just needing to put that out There, you know, they're watching.

[Shane]

They're like. Yeah, that's for sure.

[Arasha]

Don't. Don't worry. Don't worry. I'm not. I'm not craving it or anything. I'm not. I'm not desiring it. I just. It's just the way I am.

[Shane]

It's been so great.

[Courtney]

Problem is, now we can cut it out because there's, like five different points of us talking about it.

[Shane]

We can't cut half the episode.

[Arasha]

Yeah.

[Shane]

Anymore.

[Arasha]

No, it's fine.

[Shane]

Yeah, it's all good.

[Arasha]

It's okay.

[Shane]

I think. Think it's because it follows up, like you had your dropout presentation where you were like, dogs aren't cute.

[Arasha]

Yes.

[Shane]

But now followed by this opinion. It's a weird combination. It's a little hypocritical.

[Courtney]

I did recently in some.

[Shane]

In the strangest way.

[Arasha]

And listen, people are contradictions.

[Shane]

They sure are.

[Courtney]

I did recently watch the Shane killing other Shanes. One again. It was great. I didn't ask you all your favorite dinosaurs. I'm so sorry.

[Shane]

Oh. Oh, favorite dinosaur.

[Arasha]

I. I don't. I don't think I have one.

[Courtney]

Just,

[Arasha]

you know, the.

[Shane]

The tall one, the brontosaurus.

[Arasha]

Yeah, I can see.

[Shane]

I love dinosaurs.

[Arasha]

Yeah, that one.

[Courtney]

That's pretty good. That shot of, like, little Foot's mom turning around to see him and she just, like, goes off camera. Then what did you say? Like, it's a crazy show.

[Arasha]

Is there only one tall dinosaur?

[Shane]

No, there's plenty of tall dinosaurs.

[Arasha]

Oh, how did you guys.

[Shane]

But brontosaurus is the tallest.

[Courtney]

That's the one. That's the Fred Flintstone at work.

[Arasha]

Oh, okay.

[Shane]

It's just a very famous dinosaur.

[Arasha]

Okay. Yeah, I like that one.

[Shane]

Dinosaur 101. Yeah, kind of.

[Arasha]

Okay. That one's my favorite.

[Shane]

Okay. Thank you both for being here. Thank you for sharing your unpopular opinions. Very brave.

[Courtney]

Thank you.

[Shane]

And thank you all for. Thank you. Thank you all for watching and we'll see you next Saturday. Goodbye. Bye.

[Lingokids Narrator]

Are you a parent who feels guilty about screen time?

[Arasha]

No.

[Lingokids Narrator]

Well, no, not you, sweetheart, but your mommy and daddy do.

[Arasha]

Why?

[Lingokids Narrator]

Because too many apps are filled with AI garbage, inappropriate videos, and random content

[Arasha]

like a dancing potato or worse.

[Lingokids Narrator]

That's what parents worry about. We're Lingokids, and we're here to help parents. Parents out. Lingokids is the number one entertainment platform for young kids because kids love it and parents can trust it. They want something safe and fun. Yes, fun, but also something that actually

[Arasha]

teaches you big words like fomosynthesis. Fomosynthesis. Fomosynthesis.

[Lingokids Narrator]

Yeah, close enough. And they want fun songs, videos and interactive games that help you grow, not

[Arasha]

turn you into a zombie that bites other zombies and then the zombies take over the world and then fly to space and live on the moon and fly in rocket ships on planets with loads of candy.

[Lingokids Narrator]

Yep.

[Arasha]

Mango cakes.

[Courtney]

Everything kids love.

[Arasha]

So good, so good, so good.

[Shane]

Spring styles are at Nordstrom Rack stores now and they're up to 60% off. Stock up and save on Rag and Bone, Madewell, Vince, all set Saints, and more of your favorites.

[Arasha]

How did I not know Rack has Adidas?

[Courtney]

Why do we rock for the hottest deals?

[Arasha]

Just so many good brands.

[Shane]

Join the Nordy Club to unlock exclusive discounts. Shop new arrivals first and more. Plus buy online and pick up at your favorite Rack store for free. Great brands, great prices. That's why you rack. This podcast is sponsored by IQ Bar. I've got good news and bad news. Here's the bad news. Most protein bars are packed with sugar and unpronounceable ingredients. The good news? There's a better option. I'm with and I created IQ Bar Plant Protein Bars to empower doers like you with clean, delicious, low sugar, brain and body fuel. IQ bars are packed with 12 grams of protein, brain nutrients like magnesium and Lion's Mane and Zero Weird Stuff. And right now you can get 20% off all IQ Bar products plus free shipping. Try our delicious IQ Bar Sampler Pack with seven plant protein bars, four hydration mixes and four enhanced coffees. Sticks, clean ingredients, amazing taste and you'll love how you feel. Refuel smarter, hydrate harder, caffeinate larger with iqbar. Go to eatiqbar.com and enter code BAR20 to get 20% off all IQ Bar

[Courtney]

products plus free shipping.

[Shane]

Again, go to eatiqbar.comand enter code BAR20.